The Ex-Project
by Reinforce IV
Summary: They say you never love until you truly lose it all. Bound to a chained bitter existence, an older Scarlet does the dirty job of destruction and killing for money. Life was good, but she still visits the basement in bittersweet memories of feelings. Until a single memoir chains the thread of fate and turns the Lunar Dial forwards...
1. Nightmares and Scribes

AN: Hey guys, Rein here with a new story for you. Apologizes I can't complete my other Projects due to lack of interest but this one I have a good feeling about. This time, a spinoff series influenced by other Projects and series. Expect this to be very different from the usual Touhou flair here. Since it focuses on a "what if". I have not come up with a good title for this one nor know how will pull this off. But... since I have roleplayed Flandre Scarlet for a few or so months, expect me to keep her close to her original canon. As best as I can. Without further ado, I give you my highly experimental "EX Project"...

* * *

**The Ex-Project**

Chapter 1

* * *

"_I wish I was sane_..."

When had she said those words? In fact, had she even said them in the first place? All she remembered was a great shattering of something... and suddenly this. Where was she? And... why couldn't she remember?

Burying a wrapped up hand in her face, the girl gave a sigh as she stared blankly upon the fresh bandages hiding her very skin. An upset frown making their way across the lips, the female held back a hiss as her free unhurt hand peeled back the wraps bit by bit. Slowly and surely, her vision picked up the caustic and ashifying flesh underneath, burning away slowly as they hit sunlight. Throwing caution to the wind and now tearing the bandages off, a scream ripped it's way out of her lungs as her entire right arm was set ablaze within seconds. Soon, the nerves had burned away and flesh melted directly into the skeleton supporting it. The limb had turned black and necrotic, the fire quickly dying off into choking smoke as the destruction of her feared right arm was complete. Bringing the useless mass directly to her horrified vision, she tried her hardest not to vomit as the smell of ash and charred flesh swept into her lungs.

Then the rest of her started to burn. From the inside out.

She screamed.

And the girl awoke in a cold sweat, her heavy breathing made more apparent by the heaving of her shoulders and rapid rise and fall of her chest. Her head darted to where her right arm was located, eyes widening as she thankfully found it intact. But making sure it was not an illusion, the girl experimentally clenched her fist and hit the underside of her hand against the bed, to be sure it was real. Her mind had played tricks on her before in the past...

Her activity ceased as she let her shoulders slump, head down as her grown out hair hid her gaze. Closing her eyes and thinking back to the past, she wondered just what happened those years ago. How long was it since then? Two hundred? Four hundred? Maybe another thousand? Time was completely meaningless to her now. It had stopped when everything dear to her was taken away so suddenly. She had been powerless to stop it, despite her ability to destroy anything and everything...

And it was at that she didn't remember anything. She recalled names and feelings, but faces and their voices... no. They never came to her.

At least, not now.

xvx

Her voice called for the maid to fetch the mobcap she had somehow misplaced, only to remember she wasn't home anymore and she had to retrieve it herself. Suppressing a grumble under her breath, she walked over to the desk which housed the head attire. Pulling out the drawer and finding it, she grasped its familiar soft cloth once more, careful not to tear it apart any further than it already was. Setting the cap gently on her head, she moved to close the drawer before her gaze set upon a framed picture. Compelled to pick it up, her hand slowly brought the frame to her face.

Bitterness instantly plagued her body and mind as her vivid memories drifted through her formerly insane mind. It had been short, but for those dammed years, the single time they trusted her enough to release her into the outside world... she cherished those years. But it had been all too short. Too fleeting to call them true love. She just started to open up and trust them. Her interactions with them, even if she was too powerful to be "controlled", had started to do the one thing that those 496 years could not.

"Why did you have to go and leave me all alone...?"

China, Little Devil, One Week Mage, Lunar Dial Maid...

Big sister... Remilia...

"I never got to say "I love you"..."

Embracing the picture frame tightly against her chest, the girl sobbed and murmured the three significant words she had never said in her entire life as she mourned the only family she never had.

"I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you..."

xvx

Engaging the lock to the door and securing the way was sealed shut until she returned, the young woman walked out of the grand entrance from her home. Making sure the mobcap was tilted low over her eyes to shield her from the blinding sunlight, her hands unclipped and unfurled the parasol to shield the rest of her body from direct contact of the sun's rays as well. For they were no doubt harmless to her body as it was now, but she still did it out of force of habit. Placing one foot after another, the woman found herself beyond the walled gates of home. With a shadowed smile, she turned left and gave her greeting.

"Good afternoon, Mei-Ling."

_"Good afternoon to you as well, Little Mistress,"_ would have been the response.

"Well, I'm off for now, Mei. Please tell big sis not to worry so much about me. I'm an adult now and I can take care of myself."

A warm gaze stared at the blank wall for a few seconds, as if waiting for an invisible guard to finish their speech.

"Yes Mei. I promise I won't destroy the entire world in the process. I still promised to play with you guys after all. When I get back, I'll be sure to hook up that old SNES and race you. And everyone else. I'll win with flying colors! You'll see."

Again, the wall stood silent. And again, the warm gaze stood until the face upturned into a mirthful giggle.

"Ah, be sure to guard the entrance well okay? And no falling asleep on the job! Especially in mid-day!"

The only woman giggled again, a little more livelier and relentless this time around.

"Old jokes die hard my friend. Take care, Mei-Ling."

xvx

Pulling out the 14.5mm auto-magnum, a pair of gloved hands fired off two shots and quickly downed the opposition by three. One slug had ripped right through two forms and quickly disposed of their flesh by sheer force of impact alone. A focused calculating gaze quickly acquiring other targets, the hand autonomously aimed and fired off the magnum's entire internal magazine of ten rounds, each and every heavy slug hitting the mark and exploding centre of mass or the soft necks of humans. The heavy slide locked back, and an exposed thumb hit the magazine release, the stainless steel stamped metal falling from the handgrip. Another magazine at ready, the free hand brought up the fresh one and inserted it into the well of the magnum, secured with a soft click and a final harsh clack of the heavy slide snapping into firing position.

"Good job. You've got moves as befitting as Alucard himself!"

The armed gunman ignored the praise, firing off a few more shots into the massed crowd before discarding the mass driver to the side, the free hand pulling out a black iron rod which looked more like a very strange twig. At once, a great blade of concentrated fire erupted from half the weapon's length, creating an impromptu fire sword. With a single swing, the user eliminated the rest of the stragglers in a finishing move. The fire burned through all in it's path, fiery bullets burning holes into bodies and scorching the walls, melting the paint off in a sick bubbling goop and turning everything into ashen rot black.

A cold gaze scanned the area of any more survivors, other than the ones barely alive after the assault. Upon finding none, a tight hand relented the death grip on the black twig and the fearsome blade of fire burned out in a single moment. Letting gravity flip the weighted piece into a gloved palm, the user made a single fancy flourish with it before retiring it into the heavy red duster worn.

And at that moment, the front doors broke open as a heavily armed para-military team breached the manor, sweeping their weapons across the room as they took the position. Only to find a slight disappointment when they set their weapon sights upon the lone person in the middle of the spacious living room.

"All opposition eliminated."

The figure turned it's head slightly towards the armed team, a bare hint of a disapproving frown gracing soft features. "You would have all died should the team have first responded. Leave the killing to me."

The men had no rebuttal to that, instead choosing to ignore the words and secure the position as best they could.

Meanwhile, the duster clad person walked over to one of their victims, who had tried to crawl away in vain. Coughing and sputtering out blood, it wasn't to be long before they died from simple blood loss. But that mattered not to the executioner, who gave a harsh kick into the ribs to flip their body over. A left gloved hand pulling out the heavy magnum from the duster, the person clicked back the hammer of the weapon and pointed the muzzle point blank at the victim's face.

"The bird of Hermes is my name..."

And promptly executed the man, adding to the kill count.

xvx

"I am the only survivor of a land which used to be called Gensokyo. I remember the land as vividly as I saw it. The peace, that undisturbed peace which my insane mind had craved for so badly. It is gone now. I am unable to remember much of what happened but when I had come to, my mind... it had been so clear. As if all the bad thoughts and depression had simply vanished. But in exchange for that peace... I lost everything I had held dear to myself. My family, my friends, my home. All gone within the blink of an eye. I couldn't cry then. My younger mind had been shattered completely when I saw my family die before my eyes. By the time I had realized they were dead, Gensokyo was just... gone. As if it had never existed in the first place!"

The feather hovered over the scroll, as if to debate what to write next.

"I was in the real world, alone and forced to fend for myself. As a vampire, I certainly did well to blend in the night, but daytime had been a different story. Eventually, I built up resistance and presently, I am unique. I can withstand sunlight but I still sunburn easily. Rain is not a problem for me either. I am what vampires dream of, all of my strengths still here and none of the weaknesses present. On the downside, my eye destroying ability "kyuu", has somewhat been nerfed. I can no longer instantly destroy everything at my whim. It is a blessing to me, but at the cost of what?"

A hand dipped the scrawl in an ink bottle before resetting back onto the paper.

"Present day and I estimate I am around one thousand years old or so. I have changed; mentally and physically. I know it seems impossible but my body has matured quite... nicely as humans would put it. I guess with my sudden sanity, came maturity and body growth. Who would have thought? I won't describe my current body since I shall leave that to the imagination, but... ah, Big Sister would have been very jealous. Ah... R-Remilia..."

The patter of spilt tears stained the paper.

"Apologizes for that. My memories have cursed me so. I have taken up a contract job which I am rather fine with. I am now a mercenary for a company called "Devil Mei Cry", which itself is attached to an industry. It is rather fitting, for it's named after my beloved best friend whom I was the closest with. I simply kill for the highest bidder. As this is the modern age, they have given me custom made mass drivers to do my business with. I still highly prefer Gungnir, which I had taken up after my sister's death, and old Laevateinn as well. Because of the old way I kill my targets, they have nicknamed me "Scarlet Devil". My big sister's former namesake... now passed onto me."

Hands skipped a space over and wrote down the last of the entry for now.

"My name is Flandre Scarlet..."

* * *

Chapter Complete. 1 of 30. Please wait warmly while vampires are praying...


	2. Visits

Author's Note: A painful chapter. No names mentioned.

* * *

**The Ex-Project**

Chapter 2: Visits

* * *

"Right. Please do take care, my friend."

"Ah. You know I will. I'm not that child anymore."

The hint of a smile on pursed lips.

"Still friend. You still are a brash one at times. That can be bad you know?"

A bare nod acknowledged those words. A moment of silence passed between the two.

"Flowers for them again? You know they..."

A sheepish smile, followed by a giggle. "Used to get onto me for playing in the rose bushes... I know."

A spare moment of respectful silence hung in the cozy yellow atmosphere, the space between the two figures separated only by distance and posture. One wore robes and had a scroll. The other donned a red dress and flowers. One at peace. The other in war. One who accepted everything. The other who had lost everything.

Raging red stared into calm purple.

"I'll be here when you get back."

xvx

She set down the book in front, cover closed and face up, directed away from her. A roaming gaze studied the cover for a moment, taking in it's golden inlays and arcane runes filled with algorithmic data. Magic which was powerful. Magic forbidden. And some magic which was simply mundane.

"Hey one week. How's that asthma holding up? Cured? Good to hear."

A hand patted the cover of the book and trailed fingers across it, simply content to feel it's leather bound texture and golden inlays which created a story. The residual magic was still felt, if weak, flowing into her very being. Giving her a calming respect.

"That tea from your devilish assistant good? Was it four sugars this time?"

The magic flowed a little more strongly into her fingertips.

"Four sugars it was then huh...? I guess you wanted it to be special. Not a problem with that."

Brushing fingertips along the edge of the cover, the book was opened to it's first page.

"Still that locked girl you are, hmm? Well at least you can help me with my work."

Another turn of the page and the magic responded stronger, flowing into the fingers and giving an almost rapping report to her.

"Ah, you're always a cold one, mage. But... if you do insist."

Hands picked up the book and placed it on a lap, eyes scanning and a voice reading softly. As if a mother to her child.

"Chapter Twenty, the Grimoire of Scarlet..."

xvx

"Hey hey. No sleeping on the job, gate guard."

A sweet smile that transformed into a cheery grin. Energetic and filled with glory, she couldn't but give a chuckle.

"Just a joke, guard. A joke, my old maid."

Hands clasped and sitting with knees folded under her, she presented the simple cup to front. A red tin of colorful characterized cakes also sat beside it as well, in the colors of the rainbow. The red knot hung on a corner, the black brush stroked characters spelling out the meaning.

"You always know how to make my days brighter and filled with rainbows, my friend."

A sip of calming greens.

"I have to thank you for introducing me, my friend. I've learned a lot from you and really, I'd like to continue those sessions. Eh? No, I am not in it for the moon cakes."

The flowing movement of limbs, one with nature.

"Okay. So maybe I was. Even so, it's a lot of fun and helps me with controlling my power. And really... I feel so much more in tune with nature when I practice."

The pat of a heavy strong hand on a childish head.

"Oh. You want...? Ah. Alright then. I will show you, Laoshi."

Sitting up from the seiza, she stood for a moment before bowing respectfully, a smile on her features. Her hands clenched experimentally to rid themselves of any built up tension before they went still, her arms at sides and all but the even rise and fall of her chest relaxed. Closing scarlet eyes, she let her mind slip into a calm easy state before she felt comfortable opening them again.

Starting with a fast palm strike, she moved the rest of her body into motion, letting it flow easy like streams of water.

xvx

Hands unclasped the pocketwatch, hitting the dial to set mark. A few ticks faded into the day as their time started. A smile upon her lips, her arm extended to set the place once more.

"Hello again. I hope I'm not a bother to you."

The soft clink of china on china. One for one and the other untouched.

"I brought tea for you. Earl Grey. Just the way you used to..."

Scents of natural leaves wafted in the calm natural air. The sun shined clear and bright. A wonderful day to be outside. It was a little chilly and the leaves had fallen from their mother trees, to begin the cycle anew.

A knife took a soft slice of cake.

"I still remember that strawberry cake. That was the best, right? Smooth cream. Not so heavy or even sweet. Even the batter tasted airy and moist. Just the way I like it."

The wind blew a little bit, a soft whistle heard as if it was responding to the words.

"Ahahaha. Smile. You want me to smile huh? Sure... now uhm... you want me to do that? Ah ah. It shall be done."

She gave a soft laugh.

"How may I serve you today, my Mistress?"

The pocketwatch stopped ticking.

xvx

A pair of slim hands gently set down the last two flowers on stone, one white and the other red. It was simple. Just an offering and a prayer. A moment of sweet silence in memory. And then a time to depart until it was time to meet again.

"It's been a while hasn't it?"

But... hands clasped at her heart ...why was it still so painful?

"I know you're saying "welcome back" in that uncaring voice of yours. It's just a front after all. You... cared for me all those years ago. Fate decided you unlocked me from that basement. I... was grateful. But I never said it. I'm here now. So... ah..."

She gave a bittersweet laugh, as clear as the day itself.

"Thank you... so much."

This moment was her bond. Their bond.

Hands clasped a silver cross in prayer, bringing up the religious object to her forehead before lowering it to give the silver a chaste kiss.

"Creepy cool crosses. You've always loved them, but never believed. Well... it's funny how I'm a believer and here you are. I'm sure you would give me a disappointed look, but still smile inside. How you've always done..."

She raised slightly to see the eternal words set in stone of her beloved, a patched heart pulsing and breaking inside her at seeing them again. Tension rose and her body heated up, but she couldn't resist the temptation any longer. In complete silence, she had crawled over the marker and neared her face upon the eternal. A broken frown set itself on her lips before she whispered unheard and pressed her lips in a slow kiss. Time was meaningless to both in that moment, eternal. Scarlet eyes closed as she extended the kiss further, pressing into the very stone itself marking the rest. A desperate hand placed itself on the stone, the silver cross and rosary trapped between an unholy hand and purified stone. Time was meaningless... as a hand squeezed the stone in breaking pain. Closed lids leaked to let a broken soul's tears release. Pain and love expressed in a single tearful kiss.

Then she relented and gazed upon the stone with a bittersweet smile.

"I love you."

Then she shattered and collapsed under her own memories, body draped over the grave marker of the one she had never got to love the most. Her sobs were silent as the door in the wall which had locked her so long ago, having muffled her cries when she had been young. Burying her vision against the cold stone, she sobbed until her tears had dried and a broken heart throbbed painfully inside her chest. Every beat ripping waves of pain outward inside her very being... her undead soul. Time was once more meaningless as she simply sobbed on the stone, her infamous strength now reduced to a pathetic shudder in a manner of an instant. Wrecked into a mess, her lips barely murmured out a name over and over again, in a madness which seemed unending.

A single raindrop landed upon her as if to answer her pain...

Clear skies started to cry.

xvx

"You will be assigned in pairs. Two people, one team. If you are faced with capture with no way out, you are to commit suicide. Do NOT allow yourself to be compromised. Do I make myself clear?"

A chorus of voices spoke as one, nodding in agreement.

"Good. Now dismissed."

Flandre filed out of the column, unsure of what to do. She was a fighter who had always worked alone. This new policy was to be a change for her and more over, she had to limit her power and watch for friendly fire with a partner. It was something she really didn't like at all, but as a contractee, she had no choice. Her gaze sweeping the room and trying to find a person to greet, it slowly soured as the numbers dwindled. Eventually, they ran to zero and the vampire gave a disappointed sigh. Guess there wasn't any helping it. She would have to work alone again. Shoving her gloved hands in the pockets of her duster, the vampire began to walk out of the briefing room.

"Um... miss, are you free?"

Eh? Was someone talking to her? Turning around to face the voice, Flandre had expected it to be another regular, but...

"Miss? Are you... Flandre Scarlet?"

Red eyes widened in shock.

"Ko-"

* * *

Without beginning or end, the ring stretches into the infinite.


End file.
